Back support

ABSTRACT

IN A BACK SUPPORT FOR USE IN A BATHTUB COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HOLDER INCLUDING FIRST HOOK MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SAID HOLDER FROM THE LIP OF SAID BATHTUB ADJACENT AN END INSIDE WALL THEREOF AND A PLATE INCLUDING SECOND HOOK MEANS SEPARATELY RELEASABLY CONNECTABLE TO EACH OF A PLURALITY OF ENGAGING MEANS EACH ENGAGING MEANS BEING LOCATED ON SAID HOLDER AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL SUCH THAT SAID PLATE EXTENDS FROM SAID HOLDER TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID BATHTUB AT A PARTICULAR INCLINATION TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE BACK OF A PERSON SITTING IN SAID BATHTUB, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH SAID SECOND HOOK MEANS IS ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH ENGAGING MEANS ADJACENT AN END OF SAID HOLDER REMOTE FROM SAID FIRST HOOK MEANS SUCH THAT SAID PLATE EXTENDS UPWARDLY TO SAID HOLDER WHEREBY TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR SAID BACK IN AN UPRIGHT SITTING POSITION OF SAID PERSON IN SAID BATHTUB.

June 8, 1971 .1. F. MATKEA 3,583,000

BACK SUPPORT Filed Jan. 24, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

Brads/mm DARBY dds/ MAM June 8., 1971 J. F, ATK 3,583,000

v BACK SUPPORT Filed Jan. 24, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet z "mama/ 70M MAT/(EA saw/MAM one calm/M y link/V605 United States Patent G Int. Cl. A47k 3/12 US. Cl. 4-185 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a back support for use in a bathtub comprising in combination a holder including first hook means for suspending said holder from the lip of said bathtub adjacent an end inside wall thereof and a plate including second hook means separately releasably connectable to each of a plurality of engaging means each engaging means being located on said holder at a different level such that said plate extends from said holder to the bottom of said bathtub at a particular inclination to provide support for the back of a person sitting in said bathtub, the improvement in which said second hook means is adapted to cooperate with engaging means adjacent an end of said holder remote from said first hook means such that said plate extends upwardly to said holder whereby to provide support for said back in an upright sitting position of said person in said bathtub.

The present invention relates to a back support for use in a bathtub and in particular relates to such a back support which allows the person sitting in the bath to recline in a plurality of positions including an upright sitting position.

Back supports have been found very useful for use in bathtubs particularly where the person desires to sit in the bathtub for a substantial period of time and are also useful with old, sick or feeble people aiding in preventing them from drowning in the bath.

Back supports for use in bathtubs are known. In particular in US. Pat. No. 1,676,354 there is disclosed a back support for use in bathtubs which comprises a holder having a hooked upper end arranged to suspend the holder from the lip of the bathtub adjacent the inside end wall thereof remote from the end at which the taps are located, the holder including a frame having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars from which a plate is booked and extends from said holder to the bottom of the bath thereby providing an inclined surface to support the back of the person sitting in the bath. As will readily be seen from FIG. 3 of this United States patent whereas it is possible by means of this back support for the person sitting in the bath to assume a plurality of different reclining positions it is not possible for the person to sit upright in the bath and still obtain support from the plate of the back support.

The present invention provides an improvement over the aforesaid back support disclosed in US. Pat. No. 1,676,354 in which there is provided means whereby the plate is adapted to be connected to the holder such that the plate instead of extending from the holder to the base of the bath, extends upwardly from adjacent the base of the holder and parallel to the holder whereby to provide support for a person sitting in said bath in an upright position.

According to ihe present invention therefore there is provided in a back support for use in a bathtub comprising in combination a holder including first hook means for suspending said holder from the lip of said bathtub adjacent an end inside wall thereof and a plate including a second hook means separately releasably connectable 3,583,000 Patented June 8, 1971 to each of a plurality of separate engaging means each engaging means being located at a different level on said holder such that said plate extends from said holder to the bottom of said bathtub at a particular inclination to provide support for the back of the person sitting in said bathtub the improvement in which said second hook means is adapted to cooperate with engaging means adjacent an end of said holder remote from said first hook means such that said plate extends upwardly and preferably essentially parallel to said holder whereby to provide support for said back in an upright sitting position of said person in said bathtub. Suitably the plate in said upwardly extending position lies in contact with the holder.

In one embodiment according to the present invention the holder comprises a frame including a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars and the second book means includes at least one open ended slot dimensioned to releasably retain one of said bars therein, each of said slots preferably being substantially transverse to the plane of the plate. In this embodiment for providing support for a person sitting in the upright position in said bath it is merely necessary to engage the slot in the second hook means with the lowermost bar in the holder with the plate extending upwardly whence with transverse slots automatically lies parallel and in contact with the frame of the holder.

In a second embodiment of the present invention the holder includes a second plate having a plurality of vertically spaced apertures therein each aperture being adapted to releasably retain therein a notched peg of the second hook means, the holder including adjacent the end thereof remote from said first hook means, an upstanding ridge portion including an aperture adapted to releasably retain said peg such that the first plate extends upwardly and essentially parallel to the second plate of said holder. Preferably the second plate includes vertically spaced pair of horizontally spaced apertures, the second hook means including a correspondingly horizontally spaced pair of notched pegs and the ridged portion including a correspondingly horizontally spaced pair of apertures. Again to provide support for a person sitting in the upright position in the bath the pegs are inserted in the apertures in the ridge portion such that the first plate extends parallel and usually in contact with the first plate.

The present invention will be further illustrated by way of the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a back support according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a back support according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 a holder 1 comprises a pair of frame members 2 having extending therebetween a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars 3. The holder 1 is suspended from the lip 5 of a bath 4 (shown partially broken away) by means of top portions 6 of the frame members 2 To enhance maintenance of the fixed position of the holder 1 on the bath 4 rubber suction cups 7 are provided on the frame members 2. The back support of FIG. 1 is completed by a plate "8 having extending from an upper edge thereof a pair of hooks 9 having slots 10. The plate 8 is connected to the holder 1 via the hooks 9, the slots 10 engaging the bars 3 such that the plate 8 extends from the holder 1 to the bottom of the bath 4 at various inclinations depending upon the bar 3 which is engaged by the slots 10.

For an upright sitting position the slots 10 are engaged with the lowermost bar 3 such that the plate 8 extends upwardly and away from the bottom of the bath 4 and is in contact with frame members 2. The holder 1 and the plate 8 are suitably made of wood and cushioning material 11 such as polyurethane is provided at suitable places on the back support for comfort.

Referring to FIG. 2, the holder 20 comprises a pair of frame members 21 having fixedly attached thereto a plate 22 provided with a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of horizontally spaced apertures 23. The holder 20 is suspended from the lip of a bath 25 by means of the hook portions of the frame members 21 and again to enhance the maintenance of the fixed position of the holder 20 on the bath 25 rubber suction cups 26 are provided on the holder 20.

The back support of FIG. 2 is completed by a plate 27 having extending from an upper edge thereof a pair of peg members 28 provided with notches 29. The plate 27 is connected to the holder 20 via the pegs 28 which are pushed through the apertures 23, the notches in the pegs 2 8 engaging in the apertures 23 such that the plate 27 extends from the holder 20 to the bottom of the bath 25 at various inclinations depending upon the pair of apertures 23 engaged by the notches 29 in the pegs 28.

For an upright sitting position, the pegs 28 are inserted in the apertures 30 in a bar 31 extending across the bottom of the plate 22 whereby the plate 27 extends upwardly and away from the bottom of the bath 25 and in contact with the plate 22. The holder 20 and the plate 27 are suitably made of wood, cushioning material .32 is provided at suitable places on the back support for comfort.

I claim:

1. A back support for use in a bathtub comprising in combination:

a holder including first hook means for suspending said holder from the lip of a bathtub adjacent an end inside wall of the bathtub;

a plurality of engaging means each located on said holder at different levels;

said holder further including engaging means adjacent an end of said holder remote from said first hook means; and

a plate including second hook means thereon separately releasably connectable to each of said plurality of engaging means each located on said holder at different levels when the plate is in one spatial orientation such that the plate extends from the holder to the bottom of the bathtub at a particular inclination to provide support for the back of a person sitting in the bathtub; said second hook means also being releasably connectable, upon inversion of said plate, to said engaging means adjacent to the end of the holder remote from said first hook means, so that the plate then extends upwardly from the last-mentioned engaging means to provide support for the back of the person.

2. A support as claimed in claim 1 in which said plate etxends substantially parallel to said holder when said second hook means is engaged with said engaging means adjacent the end of the plate remote from said first hook means.

3. A support as claimed in claim 2 in which said plate lies in contact with said holder when said second hook means is engaged with said engaging means adjacent the end of the holder remote from said first hook means.

4. A support as claimed in claim 1 in which the firstmentioned engaging means of said holder comprises a frame including a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars, said second hook means including at least one open ended slot dimensioned to releasably retain one of said bars therein.

5. A support as claimed in claim 4 in which said slot is transverse to the plane of the plate.

6. A support as claimed in claim 1 in which the firstmentioned engaging means of said holder includes a second plate having a plurality of vertically spaced apertures therein, each aperture being adapted to releasably retain therein a notched peg of said second hook means, said holder including adjacent the end thereof remote from said first hook means an upstanding ridge portion including an aperture adapted to releasably retain said peg such that the first plate extends upwardly and essentially parallel to said second plate.

7. A support as claimed in claim 6 in which said second plate includes vertically spaced pairs of horizontally spaced apertures, said second hook means includes a correspondingly horizontally spaced pair of notched pegs and said ridge portion includes a correspondingly horizontally spaced pair of apertures.

8. A support as claimed in claim 1 in which said first and second hook means extend beyond one end of said holder and plate respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 318,368 5/1885 Gitt 418S 1,399,352 12/1'921 Lefller 4185 1,676,354 7/1928 Sachsse 4-185 2,123,316 7/1938 Rotolo 4185 FOREIGN PATENTS 332,827 9/1919 Germany 4185 671,239 9/1928 France 4--185 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner J. H. DODGE, Assistant Examiner 

